Madera, California climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Madera's normal year runs from 38°F December nights to 98°F July afternoons, with 10.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 17.4°C, December lows of 3°C, July highs of 37°C, 274 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMadera Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00093242
- Location36.99°N 120.11°W
- Elevation253 ft (77 m)
- Population69,094
On October 22, the normal high in Madera is 78°F and the normal low 48°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 12%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Madera.
- Jan 57° 39°
- Feb 63° 41°
- Mar 69° 44°
- Apr 75° 46°
- May 84° 52°
- Jun 92° 58°
- Jul 98° 63°
- Aug 97° 61°
- Sep 92° 58°
- Oct 80° 50°
- Nov 66° 42°
- Dec 56° 38°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Madera each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 98°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 38°F. The most precipitation falls in January (2.08 in), the least in August (0.00 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57°F | 39°F | 47.8°F | 2.08 | 10 | <1 | 7 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 63°F | 41°F | 51.7°F | 1.99 | 11 | <1 | 4 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 69°F | 44°F | 56.1°F | 1.98 | 9 | <1 | 1 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 75°F | 46°F | 60.7°F | 0.89 | 5 | 2 | <1 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 84°F | 52°F | 68.1°F | 0.47 | 2 | 8 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 92°F | 58°F | 75.0°F | 0.16 | 1 | 20 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 98°F | 63°F | 80.2°F | 0.01 | <1 | 29 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 97°F | 61°F | 79.0°F | 0.00 | <1 | 28 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 92°F | 58°F | 74.8°F | 0.03 | 1 | 19 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 80°F | 50°F | 65.0°F | 0.44 | 3 | 3 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 66°F | 42°F | 54.1°F | 0.92 | 7 | <1 | 2 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 56°F | 38°F | 46.9°F | 1.82 | 10 | <1 | 11 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 77°F | 49°F | 63.3°F | 10.79 | 58 | 109 | 25 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14°C | 4°C | 8.8°C | 53 mm |
| February | 17°C | 5°C | 10.9°C | 51 mm |
| March | 20°C | 7°C | 13.4°C | 50 mm |
| April | 24°C | 8°C | 15.9°C | 23 mm |
| May | 29°C | 11°C | 20.1°C | 12 mm |
| June | 33°C | 14°C | 23.9°C | 4 mm |
| July | 37°C | 17°C | 26.8°C | 0 mm |
| August | 36°C | 16°C | 26.1°C | 0 mm |
| September | 33°C | 14°C | 23.8°C | 1 mm |
| October | 27°C | 10°C | 18.3°C | 11 mm |
| November | 19°C | 5°C | 12.3°C | 23 mm |
| December | 13°C | 3°C | 8.3°C | 46 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Madera's own co-op station Madera station does: 0 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00093242; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Madera?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, May, October and November. Of those, May has the fewest days with rain (2).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00093242.
When is the last frost in Madera?
In Madera, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after February 12 in half of years and after March 17 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 30 in half of years and before November 14 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- February 121 year in 10 after March 17; 9 in 10 after January 6
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 301 year in 10 before November 14; 9 in 10 before January 3
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 293 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 341 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after January 7 in half of springs and before December 15 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Madera in zone 9b in ZIP code 93638, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Madera's NOAA station is in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 25°F (21 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in California · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00093242; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Madera?
In a normal year in Madera, 109 days a year reach 90°F (30 of them 100°F or more), 25 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 58 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 109a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 30a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 25a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 58a normal year
The highest temperature in Madera's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1928) is 116°F, on July 13, 1961; the lowest is 15°F, on January 10, 1949.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1941, with 19.74 in; the snowiest season is 1961–62, with 4.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00093242; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record MAEthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Madera?
Over a year 91% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Madera, 5.5 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (98%) and January the cloudiest (75%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 11th (with 9 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 2.6 |
| February | 80% | 3.7 |
| March | 84% | 5.1 |
| April | 87% | 6.5 |
| May | 93% | 7.7 |
| June | 97% | 8.5 |
| July | 98% | 8.2 |
| August | 98% | 7.5 |
| September | 97% | 6.2 |
| October | 93% | 4.6 |
| November | 85% | 3.1 |
| December | 76% | 2.4 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Madera need?
A normal year in Madera brings 2,356 heating degree days, 56% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,749 cooling degree days, 93% more than the median (908). Four months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 5,171 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 535 | 0 |
| February | 372 | 0 |
| March | 279 | 3 |
| April | 159 | 30 |
| May | 39 | 135 |
| June | 4 | 305 |
| July | 0 | 470 |
| August | 0 | 434 |
| September | 4 | 296 |
| October | 76 | 74 |
| November | 329 | 2 |
| December | 559 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 2,356 | 1,749 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00093242. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Madera been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 63.2°F, 0.1°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 63.3°F. 1 of the 3 complete years since 2023 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 63.0°F | −0.3°F | 10.75 |
| 2024 | 65.3°F | +2.0°F | 11.34 |
| 2025 | 63.2°F | −0.1°F | 10.12 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00093242. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Madera's climate compare?
Madera is warmer than 155 of the other 218 places with their own NOAA record in California, and wetter than 46. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 63.3°F is warmer than 84%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Madera is BSk: cold semi-arid steppe. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Madera share this climate record?
10 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Chowchilla, CA19,191 people · 11 mi NW
- Kerman, CA17,497 people · 18 mi S
- Mendota, CA12,623 people · 22 mi SW
- Madera Acres, CA9,758 people · 2 mi NE
- Firebaugh, CA8,424 people · 21 mi SW
- Parksdale, CA2,980 people · 6 mi SE
- Parkwood, CA2,095 people · 5 mi SE
- Biola, CA1,163 people · 14 mi S
- Fairmead, CA1,119 people · 8 mi NW
- La Vina, CA538 people · 7 mi S
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Madera's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Madera. This page uses Madera Municipal Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madera station USC00045233 | 5 mi SE | 270 ft | 62.3°F | 38°F | 96°F | 11.3 | 0 | February 18 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Madera's climate
What is the coldest month in Madera?
December, with a normal high of 56°F and a normal low of 38°F. The warmest is July (98°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow in Madera?
Rarely. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Madera's NOAA station; Madera's own co-op station Madera station records 0 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Madera?
January, with 2.08 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 0.00 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Madera in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Madera in zone 9b in ZIP code 93638, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Madera's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 25°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 9b.
How late can frost come in Madera?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after February 12; in one year in ten it comes after March 17. Waiting until March 17 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Madera in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- California climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Friant, CA22 miles from this station, 62.5°F a year
- Fresno, CA26 miles from this station, 65.0°F a year
- Merced, CA30 miles from this station, 62.3°F a year
- Auberry, CA34 miles from this station, 61.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made